Playtime gone awry
by Kimlavina
Summary: Sheldon, Penny, and Mya are back and on a family outing to the park. Find out what happens when a face from the past appears - and not in a pleasant way...


It was a mild Friday afternoon for November. The sun shined brightly and a warm breeze gently blew around the Pasadena City Park, and all those who ventured out on this beautiful afternoon.

Penny Cooper sat on a blanket spread out near the sand box where her nearly 2 year old daughter Mya played happily with her red plastic shovel and bucket. Penny's long blond hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail and she was dressed comfortably in jeans and a pink cotton t-shirt. She had dressed Mya similarly in a pink shirt, denim overalls, and pink and white sneakers. Her blonde curls, not quite long enough for a ponytail, were loose and free with a small sparkly pink Penny Blossom perched amongst them.

Penny smiled as she looked down at her tablet, finalizing details for Mya's birthday party next month. Her 1st birthday had been more of an intimate gathering of close family and friends. This year Penny wanted to do a big bash – petting zoo, bounce house, lots of treats and friends from nursery school. She knew Sheldon would balk at the idea of so much for a 2 year old, but eventually he'd give in and find a way to make it even bigger and more complicated than Penny planned. She chuckled remembering the start of the Penny Blossom business and how it took off into way more then she could handle when he first got his hands on it.

She looked over at Mya to make sure she was still fine and then glanced towards the park entrance. Sheldon was going to leave work early today and join them. Then they were going to head to Giacomo's for dinner. A few years back he wouldn't even think of ducking out of work early, but the birth of Mya Elizabeth Cooper had completely opened up his heart. True, he had become more loving in nature with Penny once they became a couple, but his baby girl catapulted him to a whole other level.

Not seeing him, Penny turned her attention back to her tablet. All of a sudden Penny heard a loud screech. Immediately on alert, she looked up in time to see another little girl of about 4 with Mya's Penny Blossom in her hand. Mya, red-faced and upset, had her hands on her head where the little demon child had snatched out the barrette.

"Hey!", Penny said hurrying over to the sandbox, "That isn't yours little girl. You need to give that back!"

The brat just stuck her tongue out at Penny and continued on towards the benches on the other side of the play area.

"You little…" she muttered before scooping up Mya and following the girl to a woman who was probably her mother. Although the way the woman dressed it looked more like she was trying to be her sister. Appearing to be in her late 20s with way too much makeup, blonde extensions down to her butt, obvious implants, a teeny tiny Mickey Mouse t-shirt, and jeans that looked as if they were painted on, the woman lazily looked up from her cell phone as Penny approached behind the child.

"Excuse me, is this your daughter?" Penny asked.

"Yeah?" the woman replied.

"Well she stole the barrette my daughter was wearing in her hair and we would appreciate it back."

The woman sighed loudly and looked at the child. "Marissa, did you take this kid's stuff?"

The little girl shook her head no.

The woman looked back at Penny, "She said she ain't got it. Sorry miss."

Penny bit her lip in an attempt to calm her rising rage. "Well I saw her with it in her hand. She must have shoved it in her pocket. Could you please check?"

The woman quirked an eyebrow and stood up. "Look lady, my kid don't lie and I don't appreciate your trying to call her a thief! My man has plenty of money so she doesn't need to steal anybody's cheap little hair bows."

The little bit of self-control Penny had snapped in that moment. She opened her mouth to curse this lady out.

"Well, well, well…what do we have here?"

Penny felt nauseous at the familiar voice and turned to see her ex-boyfriend Kurt walking up to them. She hadn't seen him in years – he was still as tall and broad, though not quite as solid as he was in the past. He smirked in her direction before walking up to the other woman placing an arm around her and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Everything ok babe?"

"No babe, this person is trying to accuse our Marissa of stealing from her baby."

"Is that so? Penny, that's beneath even you."

"Wait a minute – she's Penny? The one you moved to California with?", the woman raked her eyes up and down Penny. "Clearly you've upgraded." She sniffed.

At this point Penny wanted so badly to rip this woman's fake hair out and give Kurt a swift kick in the balls, but she was still holding on to Mya who was watching the entire exchange with interest.

"Ok look, I am not going to argue with you, I just want my daughter's barrette back."

"And I told you she said she doesn't have it!"

Unable to resist Penny said, "Well clearly she inherited the bald-faced liar trait from her dad because I saw it in her hand!"

"Penny, what in the world is going on?"

Sheldon had just arrived at the park to see his wife in a shouting match with a horribly over tanned woman and her ex-boyfriend Kurt.

Kurt howled, "This beanpole? This is the guy you're married to?" he turned to his partner, "Babe, no wonder their kid is a wuss, I pantsed this guy years a…." he trailed off as he fell to the ground unconscious.

Sheldon, upon hearing this man verbally attacking his family had calmly walked up behind him and firmly pinched his neck just above the clavicle.

He turned to the woman who was now staring dumbfounded at Kurt on the ground. "Now ma'am, I don't know all the details of what is going on, but I suggest it gets resolved. NOW."

The woman quickly went over to her daughter and dug her hands into her pockets pulling out the Penny Blossom. She shoved it at Penny mumbling sorry and turned her attention to Kurt who was now groggily waking up.

Penny and Sheldon strolled away with their daughter as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Penny had discovered over the years that though Sheldon was not prone to violence, the Texan did NOT tolerate people messing with his family. The first time she discovered that had been back when they were first married and some drunk guy had gotten a little handsy with her while they were out with friends. He'd suffered a broken nose and a dislocated shoulder at the hands of her husband.

Yes, that was her Sheldon – the perfect combination of nerd, lover, father, and beast.


End file.
